As the 300 men continued their pursuit, they arrived at Succoth and asked for bread. Gideon was not asking the townspeople to join the battle. He was simply asking them to feed exhausted men who were already fighting on their behalf.
The leaders of Succoth refused.
Gideon then appealed to the people of Peniel, but they refused as well. These communities wanted proof of complete victory before they were willing to support those pursuing it. They would benefit if Gideon succeeded, but they would not risk giving him bread while the outcome remained uncertain.
The sermon contrasted their refusal with stories from Mount Everest in which climbers abandoned their own summit attempts to rescue someone in danger. After months or years of preparation and enormous personal expense, they surrendered the summit to help bring another climber home.
Succoth would not give bread. Other climbers gave up the mountain.
Most of us will never be asked to perform a rescue on Everest. But we will regularly encounter someone who is “exhausted, yet pursuing.” They may not need a lecture or a solution. They may simply need someone to bring the soup—a meal, a telephone call, a text message, a prayer, or a word reminding them that they are not alone.
The question is not always, “Can I finish the battle for them?”
Sometimes it is simply, “Can I give them enough strength to take the next step?”
Next week’s conclusion:
He did not say, “It is nearly finished,”
